The present invention is a method and apparatus for providing electrical connections. More particularly, this invention relates to the wireless connection between the butting edges of adjacent planar tiles in a multi-tiled visual display system.
Flat screen visual displays, because of their small volume and relative light weight, are of great interest in the computer and television industries. Some uses for flat screen displays include portable computer displays, high definition (HDTV) and conventional television screens and wall mounted visual displays.
Many large flat screen displays are assembled from a series of smaller displays which are linked together electrically and mechanically. There are several reasons why large displays are manufactured in this manner; many manufacturers do not have the capability to produce large flat displays as single units, and the yield of good displays is often low. Low yields mean that it is more economically attractive to piece together a large display from selected good smaller panels than to risk losing a large and costly panel during production.
One conventional method of connecting visual display panels employs discrete wire bonding between adjacent panels. The present invention will replace these wire bonds with a wireless connection employing one of several conductive media.
The quality of a large visual imaging system built of smaller displays depends, to some extent, on the percentage of usable display area. The area of each display devoted to an interconnection between itself and the adjoining display is unusable as a visual display. Conventional wire bonds occupy a relatively large area of the visual displays; the connection area is unusable as a visual transmitter. An objective of wireless interconnections, along with electrical integrity, is to minimize the visual display area they occupy and maximize the area available for visual output.
Flat screen visual displays are often protected from mechanical damage by a transparent cover. This cover may integrate a liquid crystal or other display system. The cover ideally lies directly on the screen elements. If the screen is a composite of smaller elements, however, and conventional wire bonding is used to connect abutting elements, the wires may create bumps or ridges under the cover. Thus, conventional wire bonds could prevent the cover from adhering smoothly to the panel faces and cause disturbing visual distortions. It is a further aim, therefore, of the present invention to maintain an inter-panel connection which is nearly planar with the adjacent panels it connects. This allows a protective cover or display cover to lie flush and smooth over the display tiles which make up the array.
The problem of providing small area, low volume interconnections has presented a major challenge to designers of flat display panels. The development of a reliable connection, occupying a small area between adjacent panels, would represent a major technological advance in flat panel output performance. The enhanced performance which could be expected using such interconnections would satisfy a long felt need in the field of flat display devices.